Plate 54: Hairy Dragonfly and Two Darters
1594
gouache
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1594
gouache
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Plate 54: Hairy Dragonfly and Two Darters is a 1594 gouache by Joris Hoefnagel, a Renaissance work, depicting insect, held at National Gallery of Art.
This watercolor shows a hairy dragonfly and two darters on parchment. The wings still have real dragonfly wings glued on. Gold paint makes the bugs shimmer like treasure. Hoefnagel didn’t just paint these bugs. He pasted real insect wings onto the page. That trick makes the painting feel alive. Check out more of his tiny wonders at the National Gallery of Art, Washington.
